Tempo Rubato
by G-Force 4
Summary: To stray off the beaten path of what is normal is truly a hard task in itself. Watch the characters of the Retelling Series as they deal with change and try to make things right in their own eyes. One Shot


**Before Reading**

In order to understand this story, one must be fully up to date with the Retelling Series and have listened to the radio play Secluded Allegro on my deviantART page. To access the audio piece just go to my author profile which has a link that will take you directly to my website where it can be found and downloaded.

This is my only warning for this story. If you do not like the ACCs of the Retelling Series then I suggest finding another fic. Although the original characters do play a significant part here, toward the end the story's focus shifts to the characters I've created.

If you're still here and ready to read a story, then enjoy.

* * *

The cycle of sun rising and falling was in full motion. Hours that dictated morning and afternoon grew weary setting the stage for the daily changing of the guard between light and dark. The time was eight-o-clock in the evening and the store was about to close. 

The last of his customers noticed the late hour and walked to the exit to rejoin the mall's scenery. It was strange that in a building full of electronic stores, food courts, and coffee shops that such a humble music store was able to thrive.

The owner checked his watch to make sure it was aligned with the mall's gigantic clock that hung from the ceiling. To many of the customers at his store, the middle-aged man was more than just a shop keeper. He was their mentor and fellow music enthusiast who were more than willing to share his passion with music such as encouraging new players who used his store's practice rooms. It was a common joke around patrons to say that the man's love for music ran so deep that his heartbeat was aligned with the metronome on his desk.

There was another presence that cared for the aging instruments made of brass and wood, making sure that they were in prime condition so that they could be played with as much love as the craftsmen who brought them into existence. A girl at the tender age of self-discovery and intense curiosity. Exploring the nature of her existence with each note molded into the air through her delicate fingers. She too wielded her father's fire, a trait so embedded into her subconscious it was as if it was written into her genetic code. This was why she was given such a peculiar name.

Of course she wasn't by his side at such a late hour nor was she expected to be. It was time to close his store for the night. He was going home.

* * *

Light escaped from the tiny spaces of the house's doors, creating tiny beams that shot off into the night sky. The shop keeper took a moment to stand in their ray, welcoming them to rest upon the fabric of his shirt. 

Someone was still awake.

Letting this tiny detail comfort him, he unlocked the entry way and stepped inside. His gaze met those of a woman roughly the same age as him sitting at the dining room table directly ahead of him.

"Welcome home," she greeted with half-open eyes. Not wanting to continue the brief conversation, she directed her attention to the various files, letters and paperwork that littered the area she sat at. Wearing both her nightclothes and unkempt hair she continued to read the scattered documents through the blur her grogginess had instilled. It didn't take long for one to deduce that something was amiss.

The equally tired store owner walked to the dinning table and pulled a chair beside her.

"What's wrong?"

"Winston," she uttered his name softly. "I'm worried, about our daughter."

Such a concern was disarming. Was there something wrong with the child that he was unable to detect? Now his parental instincts kicked into overdrive driving the man to find the root cause of her problems.

"What's wrong with Grace!"

A hand was raised as to remind the father figure to keep his voice down as not to disturb the sleeping girl.

"There's nothing wrong with her. She doing fine at school and her teacher just called to tell me what a fine student she is."

Winston's heart calmed down a couple of beats slower but was still racing out of anticipation. He was expecting something along the lines of his daughter having trouble with her studies or an emotional problem that went undetected.

"I don't understand, Victoria. From the way things are going, I'd say that Grace is excelling scholastically."

"That's exactly why I'm worried."

Again, a disarming argument was exposed. Winston remained silent and let his wife tell him what was on her mind.

"Do you really think that the private school we enrolled her in is meeting all her academic needs?"

"What brought about these thoughts of doubt?"

Victoria gestured to the newspaper resting on the dinning room table. The article it was opened to the overall accomplishments of the student body of Kadic Junior High in terms of overall GPA and extra curricular courses and displaying its official coat of arms in a rather proud manner. A child by the name of Jérémie Belpois was mentioned for having a dazzling intellect that was part of a long line of prodigies to walk the school's halls.

"Sometimes I think that given the right environment, Grace can blossom into something more than our imaginations. I just want something more for her. Do you really see our daughter working at your music store for the rest of her life? She needs to grow as an individual."

A light sigh came from Winston for his gaze was still transfixed on the article. Did he really have his daughter's best interest in mind? She was reaching a point in her life where she would begin to develop her own aspirations and identity. Could she really do so under his constant supervision? Still though, it was just an empty wish. Even at their combined income the two adults could not afford the tuition to such an elite school.

"Can we really send her there?"

Victoria shrugged and pointed to an unopened letter near her husband's elbow which bore the same coat of arms that was printed on the article he just read.

* * *

_One week later_

* * *

Yumi set her backpack next to her chair and retrieved her notebook. It was ten till the beginning of her last class before lunch. A peculiar time indeed, marked by the myriad of activity which composed of students gathering their supplies and whittling away their last few moments of idleness before the teacher would commandeer their attention for the next fifty minutes. 

She made good use of what little time she had left. Her life was going through a whirlwind of change, Aelita's permanent residence in Kadic being on of them. It was funny to see the girl she used to talk to only through Jeremie's computer now out and about like a regular human. It was the sort of thing that science fiction writers could only dream of. Of course there were the XANA possessions now, making things just a tad more difficult. Keeping a watchful eye for phenomenon like bulldozers with a life of their own and runaway tour buses were a thing of the past.

A quick head turn on Yumi's part allowed her to catch a small yawn from her brother, one of the few changes she actually invited into her life. After two years of separation they were reunited, in hopes of taking down XANA. He was still close to her and even to this day followed her around campus and looked after her like a guardian angle…a responsibility that went both ways. They were family after all. It was just another blessing in disguise that the rogue computer gave her.

"Hey Aniki," the Japanese girl called out as to follow her classmates example and socialize.

"What is it?"

"Just curious, are they're any major differences between Kadic and the school you attended to in the U.S."

"Yeah," Jin responded smugly. "No XANA trying to kill me ever so often."

Jin's sarcasm never ceased to disappoint. It ran a fine balance between being amusing and being biting…leaning to one extreme whenever the situation calls for it. Yumi had enough socializing for now. The teacher was making her way to the blackboard and the room came to a quiet.

* * *

"Say that again!" 

"I would but I don't think you would be able to understand what I'm telling you, no matter how many times I need to repeat myself."

"Ah, go stalk your girlfriend and leave us alone."

"Excuse me!" came the shrieking voice of Sissi Delmas which brought the entire room to a standstill. For the class that Sissi's Gang to residence in, they used their idle time to bicker and argue with the other well known groups of Kadic. In short, business as usual.

"Well if it isn't the daddy's girl," the argument's aggressor egged on.

"Well if it isn't our school's brute squad."

"You show that overgrown flunky the big idiot he is!" Herb cheered, as now he gained a new ally in his verbal battle.

"Can it! I'm only doing this because tall, dark and ugly here said I was your girlfriend. That role is for my Ulrich dear to fill."

"Just stop with the sweet talk will you! I feel like I'm getting cavities by just hearing this garbage! I got an idea? Why don't you get your third stooge over here and you can have the entire dysfunctional family in on this?"

* * *

A couple of rows behind the bickering trio sat two students perfectly content with watching the spontaneous chaos that Herb had instigated. 

"Pssst…Ulrich," came Odd's exaggerated whisper. "Pass the popcorn. Nothing like a rousing drama to get you pumped up for class."

"So what do you call this live action disaster, Odd?" Ulrich chimed in equally as amused.

"How about, 'The Prep and the Pimple Face'?"

"Has a nice ring to it. I bet if you were to put this in the theaters it would make a mint."

A low growling could be heard after Ulrich's statement as if the sound was an audio punctuation mark.

"Don't say mints. Now you got me thinking of food and I'm starving." The blonde then rubbed his stomach as to emphasize his point and drawn sympathy to his suffering.

"Since when are you not thinking of food is the real question; but then again, you're so scrawny it always looks like you're in need of a good meal, even though you eat twelve of them a day."

Ulrich said that special word that always managed to press his best friend's buttons.

"I am not scrawny, I'm _svelte_! Call me that one more time and you'll be staring in my next drama, 'The Bruised and the Beautiful'!"

The agitated boy continued his tirade of false anger by shaking his fist in such an exaggerated manner that it was almost comical. The roommate's rambunctious behavior caught the attention of a particular pink haired girl who wanted to pay their table a visit to see what all the commotion was all about.

"My, it looks like you two are enjoying yourselves. What put you guys in such a cheerful mood?"

Ulrich jerked his head in the same direction as to point out the rather amusing argument that he was watching before.

"Herb and Sissi are having a big spat over there with Dirk's buddy, Clayton. Apparently it all started after Herb called the big guy a 'gigantic idiot'..."

"Emphasis on the gigantic part," added Odd.

"And then things escalated to this."

"For being Einstein's intellectual rival, Herb can sure make dumb moves like the best of them."

"Well good thing he said it in front of all of us, because this would be the time when Clayton's fist would fly at his head."

"I kind of feel sorry for him though?"

"Who? Herb?"

"No, Clayton. I wouldn't mind giving Herb a good smack in the head if he deserved it."

Aelita instantly saw the same thread of humor that was intricately woven through the heated verbal crossfire. Seeing these normally level-headed individuals so riled up over such an innocent comment brought a smile to her face and a stifled laugh from her lips.

"That's the spirit, Princess," Odd said with a smile. "Just don't let the two dropouts see you. They tend to take personal insults rather seriously."

"Yeah, Aelita. It doesn't look like it, but those guys are just bad news. Especially Dirk, sometimes he even makes Sissi look like an angel compared to him."

With a final outburst from both parties, the argument came to a very violent close with each side looking a little more peeved then when they started. Such a sudden conclusion brought a frown to Odd's face.

"Aw, man…they're done already? I guess all good things do come to an end."

Aelita waved farewell to the two best friends and reclaimed her seat next to Jeremie just as the instructor stepped inside the classroom.

* * *

As Principal Delmas' unofficial advisor, PE teacher Jim was entitled to certain tidbits of information that his fellow teaching staff members would have to wait to find out. When he was called into the man's office, Jim already knew his rationale for doing so but was still questioning his path of logic in coming to the decision he did. Hopefully the final meeting they would have before the changes were implemented would dispel his doubts. Entering the humble looking, office Jim noticed that Principal Delmas wasted no time in bringing him up to speed on his special agenda. 

"As you're fully aware Jim, today makes the official enrollment of our latest entry into our school."

Jim nodded in agreement with this recap. Nothing that the elder man said conflicted with the message he recalled from memory but a nagging question was still nagging at him.

"Sir, if I may?"

"Go on."

"Why now? Don't we usually handle new entries at the beginning of the year?"

Mr. Delmas turned in place so that he faced his window to look over the school he saw develop before his eyes.

"Are you aware of our sister school, Guiding Light Academy?"

"The all-girls private university?" Jim responded somewhat unsure of his own answer.

"Now, recently, the head of their music department has voiced an interest in taking part in our curriculum so that they can better themselves through our example. In order to better collect data on our program, the principal of Guiding Light has arranged to send over one of their most qualified music instructors to teach on our campus temporarily."

Jim had to take a quick breather; this was all news to him. He was completely oblivious that such a radical change was about to take place.

"Just curious, though…is there any way we're benefiting from this exchange?"

The PE teacher was no fool. Such an elaborate trade would require an extensive amount of paperwork from both the school's principals. There weren't that many people in this world who would be willing to go through those pains without some sort reward. Guiding Light was getting quiet a deal, but what about Kadic?

Mr. Delmas let his shoulders relax a bit. "It just so happens that the instructor who they'll be sending us is indeed a musical genius in her own right. A genius who is able to educate and instill a deep interest in music with her students."

A raised eyebrow and a confused look spread across Jim's facial features as he did not know the point his boss was trying to make. It was fortunate for him that his back was turn as he didn't want to be seen with such a foolish look.

"Although our music curriculum is indeed top notch as Guiding Light proclaims, so…we have been seeing signs of declining enrollment from our own students. Both as a school principal and a supporter for the arts, this deeply worries me."

"If you ask me, sir, I blame all the music they're listening to now!" Jim snapped, trying to make himself look strong in Delmas' eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were correct on that assumption. The recent popularity of the Subsonics has caused our students to trade in their trumpets and flutes for electric guitars and amplifiers. I have faith in our new teacher, and I believe that once our kids are exposed to her teachings, they too, will see the riches classical music has to hold."

The expression the listen wore change from being befuddled to that of a profound understanding. He was happy to be working for someone such as Mr. Delmas as he was motivated by a higher realm of thinking, and striving to better his facilities and students for a noble cause rather than profits. Still though, his question nagged him.

"That's a real worthy cause sir but what does this have to do with the new student?"

"Guiding Light heeded my request but under one stipulation that the teacher proposed. She would only agree to her transfer if I would also allow the enrollment of one of her brightest pupils. I agreed."

Again, another profound look from Jim.

"That's a lot of demands on your part. Any other reason why you said yes?"

"There's one more. The principal of Guiding Light is my cousin. I found it quite difficult to say no. Though one could say the same thing about her with me."

"I guess it runs in the family then."

The piercing sound of a buzzer from the intercom sliced through the air and brought the two gentlemen's attention toward the machine.

"The new student is here, sir," came the voice of his secretary through the speakers.

"Good. Send her in."

* * *

The lecture was short (an element in the lesson plan that was widely hailed among the students). Having a long speech was pointless for in twenty-four hours they will be taking a major test in this class. No use going over new material when what was really needed was a review. 

For a certain Korean in the classroom, he couldn't really care less. Sure, some students might actually achieve the impossible and get some studying done, but eventually this unrestrained session would degenerate into the usual gossip about the latest movies and other useless social dribble. All he had to do was endure the mind-numbing chatter and we could seek sanctuary in the library during his lunch break.

"Hey Dirk, did you see the look Sissi gave me when I called Herb her boyfriend?"

And so the gossip claimed its first victim so close to home. Such a proclamation made the smaller of the two think that maybe Clayton was arguing for the sake of putting a damper on the girl's day rather than defending his honor.

"No I didn't. You all looked like morons up there. The whole thing was ridiculous."

"Ah you know it was funny. Man, don't you ever laugh? You're so stiff. Loosen up a bit!"

As to carry out the suggestion, Clayton reached over as to give his dour friend a good shake, but his hand was swatted away as if it meant the Korean harm.

"I'm perfectly fine the way I am. I just don't find your idiotic spectacle very humorous."

Clayton nursed his hand still feeling the small sting that lingered in his nerves. A topic change was needed.

"I've been thinking about joining our school's cinema club."

"Oh."

The remark was made rather passive, no other fluctuation was added as to show further interest in the subject and was said more to acknowledge the decision that was about to be made. The enforcer remained silent as to prepare himself for another one of the Korean boy's elaborate speeches on his hobbies but it never came. He just continued reading as if nothing happened.

"'Oh'? Is that all?"

"Do you want me to jump up and down and yell congratulations?"

"No, but it would be a start."

"Then what do you want?"

"Normally you would be saying something along the lines of 'Why are you wasting your time?' or 'Don't you have anything else better to do?'" With each quotation Clayton did his best Dirk impression which was fine crafted through all the time they spent together. The end result was rather convincing. Sure it lacked the original's charm and complexity but it still had that same feeling of intimidation that it gave off.

"You already know where I stand on the issue, but I'm not your babysitter. You don't need my permission to do anything."

Clayton mentally kicked himself for expecting any sort of encouragement from his roommate. On one hand he was glad that Dirk didn't condemn him for his choice in activities, but he just wished that the normally brooding boy would actually care about his hobbies. For once in a long time, Clayton actually felt like he was in control of what he was doing in life, doing what he liked without fear of ridicule or harsh words thrown his way coming from the mouths of ignorant strangers.

Then again, Dirk seemed to be filling that role rather nicely though what he lacked in stupidity he made up for in sheer sophistication. Trading grade school insults in for far more powerful comments that could cut to the core of his conscience. Of course Clayton would have never put up with the boy's company for that long if this was all done out of spite. It was just the way he chose to interact with people. To Dirk, the line between being a friend and being an enemy in his eyes was always erased and redrawn. It was common to show his utmost respect to those who wronged him in the past, only to be filled with rage a few minutes later toward that same person.

Reminiscing about the past gave the logical side of Clayton's brain an opportunity to question why he still was friends with the bitter student next to him. It was a known fact that Dirk wasn't going to win a popularity contests at Kadic as the number of enemies he made was quiet extensive. As his enforcer, Clayton saw more than his fair share of physical confrontations and although it did satisfy his need for an adrenalin rush now and then, it brought him little else.

Yet above all of this they were still friends, good friends, just not by conventional standards. You had to understand the inner workings of Dirk's mind to see that he valued his company.

"Would Ulrich Stern please report to Principal Delmas' office," came the blaring voice of a female faculty worker.

"Speak of the Devil," Clayton chuckled to himself at a volume that was only meant for his ears to listen to. If there was any subject on the planet that made the gears in Kap Hwan's brain turn it had to do with one of his major rivals.

"Oh boy, things are about to get a little bit lively around here," Clayton whispered once more.

* * *

If one were to lend an ear so that it pointed to the desk that Ulrich and Odd sat it, a collective gulp could be heard from where the two boys sat. All eyes were transfixed on them for no one had a clue on why the star soccer player was summoned on such short notice. 

"Ulrich, did you do something completely stupid that you're not telling us about?"

The two best friends spoke in low murmurs, for what they were taking about was not meant for the masses to hear.

"Not that I know of."

"Then, why is the headmaster calling you to his office? Usually the reason why is never good, and I don't think he's planning to throw you a surprise birthday party."

"If I knew why then I would be wearing this confused look on my face now would I?"

Odd rested his chin on the crock that lay in-between his thumb and index finger. He racked his mind for a witty comeback worthy of his reputation but found himself at a loss for words.

"Touché."

Ulrich chose to make his way to the meeting area on such a high note and quietly left the classroom as to not attract anymore attention.

The walk to Mr. Delmas' office was uneventful; it was an occurrence in Ulrich's life that he wished happened a bit more often then it was doing now. The halls were empty and only the droning of from the school's ventilation shaft was generous enough to keep him company.

Such intimate feelings of normalcy were halted when he entered Mr. Delmas' office and a blond hair girl insisted on giving him one of the biggest hugs he had in his life.

Just when things couldn't get anymore stranger.

* * *

Odd and the rest of the Weirdo Bunch were not the only ones perplexed about their companion's sudden departure to the principal's office. The curiosity of a certain principal's daughter was also sparked, igniting a flame so intense that the issue could no longer be left alone. 

"Yes, Sissi," the female instructor called, noticing the raised hand that shot up at a lightning-quick speed.

"Umm...my daddy told me that I should head to his office too as to help him out with what he needs with Ulrich."

Sissi could just feel the lameness her excuse to leave just pulsate through the air. Then again the principal was her father and that her teacher did not have a shred of evidence that she was lying or not. Much to her amazement her quaint little bluff withstood her teacher's scrutiny and she ran to her father's office as fast as her legs could take her. From outside the administration building she saw Ulrich and another girl, a girl she never saw before.

A girl who had her arms wrapped around him.

The sight alone was enough to drive the curiosity out of her.

* * *

If Ulrich were to receive a detention notice or a disciplinary referral, he would have been a lot less confused. Sure, he didn't really do anything to deserve such harsh treatment, but the whole ordeal would have felt a little less awkward. 

Instead, the older man gave him an extra assignment in order to help out a familiar face. He was to be the new student's tour guide and show her around the campus of Kadic Junior High. Though he completed this task, Ulrich wonder why he was selected out of all the students who attended. He was never really the best when it came to giving speeches. Maybe his selection was by chance.

"My Ulrich, you look quiet confused," came the inquisitive voice of the new girl.

He smiled at the comment. The student he was with had an aura about her that could put anyone, friend or stranger at ease.

Also it didn't hurt that they had met in the past.

"I'm just wondering why the principal choose me to give you the grand tour. Usually a teacher is supposed to do this."

"And already you've forgotten all the wonderful advice I gave you."

The teenager placed both her hands on her hips, giving her guide a rather serious look.

"Grace, what on Earth are you talking about?"

"About being a gentleman. When a lady asks for you to accompany them in a certain endeavor you should honor her request."

Ulrich took a good step backwards out of shock.

"You wanted to see _me_!"

"Don't sell yourself short Ulrich. I'm surprised girls don't ask for your company more often."

In the past, he would have been blushing out of embarrassment with Grace's flirtatious behavior, though now Ulrich had grown used to this quality. It was just the way she chose to bond with people.

"Really now, why did you want to see me?" He repeated his question, in a bit more serious tone.

The normally cheery girl lowered her gaze and turned her head slightly away, the first signs she displayed that voiced her anxiety of coming to a new school.

"You're the first student from this school that I got to know really well while at my father's store. Sure I met others from Kadic, but they did have the same connection that we had. I thought that maybe if you showed me around it would make the adjustment process a little more bearable for me."

Their tour was long over but the two friends felt compelled to keep talking if just to eat up the last few minutes before lunch. They continued to walk, destination unknown. Past classroom full of attentive minds, across vacant courtyards and anywhere else their feet could take them. It didn't matter where they went, just as long as they kept walking.

This is what, Ulrich figured, Grace needed the most.

"Grace, was it your idea to come here?"

Somehow they had managed to reach the door that lead to the school's rooftop balcony. Grace approached the handrail with tentative hands and latched onto it with an iron grip as if the squeeze her own anguish into the piece of steel. Her long blonde hair and hems of clothing rocked gently in the afternoon breeze.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Ulrich too approached the rail and took hold of it before taking in the view the rooftop had to offer.

"Then tell me what you do know."

She struggled to come up with an answer for the worlds lay in a jumbled mess that matched her comprehension of the matter. If Ulrich was to know of what was going on, she would have to start from the beginning.

"My mother thought that I 'outgrew' my old school. Outside of the fact that she saw that I was a gifted student, everything was normal. Things began to change when she read an article in the newspaper about your school."

Ulrich nodded in fascination. He recalled hearing about it from Mrs. Hertz who wasn't the least bit hesitant on showing how proud she was for the recognition.

"I remembered hearing about that."

"After that she began to question if I was in the right institution. She shared her concern with my music teacher which was when she decided to have me transfer with her."

"Transfer?" Ulrich inquired.

"You see, there's this big collaborative project that our schools are involved in which required that one of our teachers to come over here. My music coach insisted that I came to and even flat out refused the proposal unless I was part of the exchange even when she got a pay rise for the agreement."

A sheepish laugh came from the listener. He was never too keen on helping those through their emotional own problems when he himself had a few skeletons in his closet.

"You don't have to say anything to comfort me," Grace said, sensing the boy's confusion. "I just need someone who will listen to me, please."

With a new resolve Ulrich slowly nodded and allowed the story to continue but not without saying something optimistic.

"As long as you're a day student, you'll find attending classes here isn't so bad."

Another look of uncertainty came his way.

"If only that were true."

"Wait a second! You're going to be boarding here too. It's not like you live far away or something."

"Due to scheduling conflicts, these extra practice sessions that I would be required to attend take place in the evening. Both of my parents are still working by that time."

"Just one question…why did you agree to come here? It's not like they forced you to change schools."

"If I were to flat out refuse the proposal, it would be a gigantic slap in the face for my family. They always think of the best for me, and they hope I can get more opportunities by attending classes here, but there's one more thing. There's something that I've been thinking about for the longest time."

"What is it?"

"I want to see him."

The meaning of Grace's cryptic message eluded him.

"Who?"

Grace hung her head low out of shame.

"I don't know his name. It's kind of sad really. I see him every week at my father's store but I don't know who he is but I just have to talk to him. All that I know about him is that he goes to your school. That, and his father's last name. If you knew who the sort of person he was, you'd understand."

The sympathy Ulrich felt for Grace was overpowering. He just had to help.

"You said you knew his dad's last name? What is it?"

"Kap Hwan," here sheepish answer came as her gaze lowered to the floor.

Ulrich's eyes were as wide as saucers. The revering tone Grace had when talking about his enemy was equally eerie. It was if she was talking about a completely different person altogether. He had to make sure.

"By any chance, is he fond of wearing black and plays the cello?" Ulrich asked both anxious and fearful of the answer he would receive.

"Why, yes."

He had to take a step back for his worst fears were confirmed. If he didn't know Grace as well as he did, he would have seriously begun to doubt her sanity.

"That's Dirk Kap Hwan! He's one of the most notorious students here. Why do you want to meet such a person!"

A small frown was seen on the girl's lips as if he insulted someone dear to her. The lunch bell rang furiously and the children swarmed the courtyard as if staying an extra minute in class was hazardous to one's health interrupting the slightest bit of doubt the young boy had with what he just said. Ulrich could only hear a few mummers on the subject matter that he could not piece together. Her determination to meet his rival held firm for when she made her way to the staircase, he could have sworn he saw her smile.

* * *

"Oh no," came the exasperated plea from Yumi who was staring at something that she wished was not happening. 

"This isn't going to stop is it?" Jeremie said while wearing an equally shocked expression.

"Is this sort of thing normal?" Aelita asked on account she never saw such an ordeal in her life.

"If you only knew," Jeremie answered.

Standing in front of them were their two friends, Odd and Jin, engaged in a fierce – yet pointless – argument.

"I admire your guts for saying that to my face, but I have to question your intelligence for being such an idiot!"

"Hey man, you know it's true."

"Sure and UFO's really did build the Pyramids of Egypt!"

"Stop deluding yourself man. Ask anybody else and they'll agree with what I'm saying. When it comes to Lyoko, Laser Arrows are the way to go. Without me, you guys would be having a really hard time keeping XANA at bay."

Yumi really wished she had a legitimate excuse to give the two boys a good rap on the head to quiet them down.

"Hey, keep the bullets out of this Odd. At least I can hit stuff with my weapons."

"Ok, you might be the better marksman out of us, but I can kill something with what I got, not knock it off balance."

"Go grab some catnip..."

"Catnip! Ease up on the name calling Matrix fan."

"For the last time Odd, it's not the Matrix! I based my Lyoko form off of John Woo movies!"

"Woo, shmoo! Everyone knows the real reason why you made your character like that was because you were so amazed by my Lyoko talents and wanted to copy me. I don't blame you; they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so thank you."

"Me flatter you? Sure Odd, keep deluding yourself."

"Why don't you choose a more practical weapon like a sword? Then you'd know how cool it is to actually waste a monster by yourself."

"I think you got you got the wrong Jin, as I don't wear glasses. Besides, I find it very fitting that you use arrows to fight as your head looks like a giant one with a Kool-Aid stain in the middle."

"Oh that's just low Jin, real low."

"Not as low as your IQ. Let it sink any further and you'll soon be tripping over it."

"Look who's talking, Mr. Master of Disaster."

At this point in the heated exchange, Yumi came to the sudden enlightenment that excuses were overrated.

Two quick chops to the top of the arguers' head brought the heated exchange to a screeching halt.

"Aiya!" Jin vocally reacted, as opposed to Odd, who just nursed the area that the Japanese girl had hit.

"Obviously, both your brains are virtualized as well, as they don't seem to be in the real world, where they need to be."

"Since when did Odd use his brain?" Jeremie quipped, unable to resist the huge insult opening Yumi created.

Odd didn't handle that joke too well which was something that Jeremie relished as it proved that he had the verbal wit to get underneath his rival's skin.

"Oh man Einstein, if we were sparring, I'd make you the next star of 'The Bruised and the Beautiful'."

"What!"

"Never mind; only Ulrich would get the joke."

By now, the rest of the gang had formed a circle so that they could freely talk to one another at a reasonably close proximity, so that they didn't have to resort to shouting. The group's keen eyes were able to catch the sharp, quick movements that characterized Jin's body language showing that he was about to speak.

"Now, that I have an appropriate segue for the next topic. Allow me to say, what is the deal with Ulrich!"

Though Jin's worrisome gestures were a bit exaggerated compared to how another person would convey them, they did do an excellent job in expressing the overall concern that everyone had.

"My thoughts exactly, Aniki; why did Mr. Delmas call him to his office?"

Jin shuffled his feet so that his body faced Odd and jetted out his finger sideways as if to raise a point and draw attention to the younger boy.

"Did you guys do something stupid?"

"Of course not! We're innocent."

Just when Yumi was preparing herself for another chop, the overly blatant sound of someone clearing her throat broke up another potential argument and spared Jin another hit to the skull. Wondering where it came from, she spun around.

"Looking for my little Ulrich dear?" The principal's daughter asked, speaking in high tones.

Jin leaned over toward Odd's direction as to whisper a message that only he was meant to hear.

"'Ulrich dear'? Uh oh, I smell another chop coming."

Thankfully those words did not reach the younger sibling's ears for the conversation continued as if nothing else was said.

"What is it now Sissi?" Came Yumi's near bored voice. In all honesty she had grown weary of the constant game of cat and mouse she played with Sissi when it came to Ulrich.

"You don't need to waste your time looking for him as he's taken a liking to the new girl."

Yumi could sense the tension worming its way in the pit of Sissi's stomach. Just the memory of the thought caused her temper to flare up.

"You don't say?" Came her response which was sprinkled with more of her sense of dark sarcasm that she would normally use.

Maybe back in the day when she was insecure of his social life, she would be jealous. Through her misadventures she learned to have faith in her friend, a lesson Sissi had yet to grasp. Her ignorance and stubborn adherence to such a low level of thinking was rather comical, if not slightly saddening.

Such a train of thought was sent for a collision course for disaster when Sissi's quivering lips curled every so slightly into a rather devious smile. There was something more she was alluding to more than what was initially revealed.

"I thought you would feel that way Yumi but this isn't your normal misunderstanding that we've both experienced our fair share of…You should have seen those two hugging over at my daddy's office."

Sissi could just hear her rival's grabbled response which lay jumbled in her throat. Adding a tally to her invisible scoreboard she cherished the moment, as it was the only thing that was keeping her own anxiety at bay.

Another person joined the conversation making his entry known through brisk pace he was walking before his feet ceased their movements.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Ulrich said with a small grin. "Mr. Delmas called me in to show around the new student."

In the corner of the boy's eyes he could see his roommate sticking his tongue out at Jin and mouthing a phrase to what appeared to be, "I told you so."

"I have a name Ulrich!" she retorted, feigning offense.

Clearly, there was something Sissi was missing. With a quick glance at the girl the entire Weirdo Bunch was all smiles with her appearance. The encounter was so potent that it was able to snap Yumi out of her shocked state and propel her to hug the new student.

Leave it to Odd to state the overtly obvious.

"Whoa! It's the girl from the music store!"

"I have a name!" Grace protested which carried the same faux annoyance that her previous outburst with Ulrich had.

Further explanation was in order as Odd's comment left much to be desired. Still with her arm wrapped around the shoulder of the new acquaintance Yumi gestured to Sissi with her free arm.

"Was this the person you were talking about?"

The Japanese girl accepted Sissi's confused expression as an affirmative response. The sight of the proud principal's daughter wearing such a goofy look just officially made her day.

"As much as I appreciate the gossip, you're a bit misinformed, Ms. Delmas. Grace wasn't trying to take Ulrich away…she's just a really affectionate person like that."

Grace waved nervously at the stranger as she was unsure of how to handle their little meeting.

Such a gigantic blunder like this would not be forgotten by the likes of Yumi and the rest of her friends. Not wanting to suffer even more social turmoil, Sissi stomped away in a huff leaving behind the cloud of laughter in her wake. Such a scene was reminiscent to the spats that she and Odd had countless times before.

Jeremie was the last of the teens to calm down, for it had been a while since he had such a good laugh. With the last of his chuckles leaving his body he turned his body so that it faced the dorms. With a quick goodbye wave, began to walk toward the building with Aelita not too far behind. The leisure time was well spent but he had a job to do.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yumi saw her brother scratching his head and wearing an expression normally reserved for people who were totally ignorant about a given situation.

"I..."

Her brother could be so predictable at times.

"Aniki, this is Grace. She works at the music store in the mall. I don't think you two ever met before."

"Oh."

Grace couldn't help but grin at the overly extroverted mannerisms that the male Asian student exhibited.

"My, Yumi, isn't he quite eccentric one. Is he the chap who spends a good chunk of his time at the mall's arcade like you told me before?"

"That's my brother for you."

Being the subject of the female's discussion Jin felt like he had to interject.

"Har-dee-har-har! Maybe we should take this inside. I'm no mind reader, but I think Ulrich and Grace haven't gotten a bite to eat yet."

Jin turned on his heel but stopped in mid-stride as he realized he forgot to do something rather important.

"Where are my manners?"

Jin slowly shifted his balance and performed a classic gentlemen's bow in front of his newest friend.

"Jin Ishiyama, at your service."

The new student could only giggle at the unusual gesture. The then clasped her hands in delight of the suggestion. "That's a great idea. I'm quite hungry myself. Walking around this place can work up quite an appetite."

Now with a purpose the group of teenagers made their way to the cafeteria. At first the cluster of students walking outside were of no concern that was until Grace spotted a familiar face and instantly froze in her tracks for only a split second before dashing off,

* * *

Out of impulse, Clayton stuck out both his thumbs and index fingers to make a frame to peer through, mimicking a classic pose that many established directors were seen in. Through this crude frame of skin he surveyed his surroundings. 

"You know, Dirk, I'm beginning to think that Kadic would make an excellent setting for a movie. The scenery here could prove useful."

Dirk grumbled underneath his breath. It was a coping device he created in order to deal with his friend's more energetic personality.

"I don't bother to think of such trivial things and I certainly don't pretend to view my life as if it were on a movie screen. You can stop playing make-believe. You're drawing too much attention to yourself."

"Hey man, don't start going all moody on me. I'm just having a good time. Look at this place! I can see an excellent horror movie being filmed here. Just imagine, zombies, tons of them, walking around the place looking for their next meal. I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!"

"And I'm getting a headache just watching you. What's with this attack-of-the-zombies idea? Sounds ridiculous to me."

Clayton's heightened interest in the world of cinema would be the first of two unexpected scenarios that Kap Hwan would face. The second one came by just as suddenly in the form of a gigantic force to his back that almost toppled him over. His sense of balance prevailed, resulting only in a slight stagger that was resolved by readjusting his footing. Immediately, his battle instincts kicked into high gear, telling him that he was indeed in a dangerous situation. Such a violent impact was clearly the result of someone intending him harm, a small detail that he would not stand for. In the back of his mind, he admired the assailant's boldness. Never would he have expected to be attacked in such an hour out in the open. Dirk squeezed his fist until his knuckles were white as bone chambering his rage into his hands.

That was until he realized that the pressure that first came into contact with his back stayed there.

* * *

The students in the courtyard looked expecting a series of emotions that ranged from utter shock, laughter and in the case for some, pure jealously. 

There, behind the Korean, stood a girl around his age embracing the reserved individual.

Among the throng of onlookers were a group of teenagers who Dirk took a special disliking to.

"Odd, tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me," came the fearful request from Jin, his voice quivering with every word as if he was going to faint at any given moment.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"You think Grace has a death wish, or something?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he echoed his previous response.

Ulrich too thought he was in a dream. Though he was able to infer that there was a certain deal of respect Grace had for Dirk, he never would have expected to see her make such a flirtatious gesture toward him.

* * *

The entire crowd stood on pins and needles as the sight, not knowing what to expect next. Some anticipated a nervous reaction from the boy as the result of being in such an intimate embrace. Others were not so optimistic, given the Korean's violent nature it would only be a matter of time before someone was going to get hurt. Their speculations were put to rest as Dirk reacted to the situation like he did with everything in his life; with a cold indifference. 

With little effort he moved Grace's arms away from his body which was a clear sign that he did not want someone standing so close to him. With a quick turnaround, Dirk finally got a glimpse of the girl who had given him such a mental jolt. His acknowledgment of Grace's presence was equally as harsh.

"You can't just be hugging everyone you remotely know. I'm not your personal teddy bear, Ashburton."

Grace was greeted with the piercing gaze of one of her most well-known customers. Her uneasiness building from within was rising with such intensity to match the boy's harsh look. Thinking that the violent response was all just an innocent misunderstanding, Grace explained her actions and tempted fate once again by continuing to converse with the individual standing in front of her.

"But Dirk…" she uttered in protest. The emotional impact of her situation finally letting itself be known almost causing her voice to waver out of weakness.

"Don't call me Dirk!" Kap Hwan barked, a move so bold that it caused even the students watching to take a step back out of shock. "Our relationship is purely business, and I intend to keep it that way. Only the people who are close to me can call me by my first name and vice versa."

Their eyes met one more time with Dirk showing no signs of faltering. At that very instant Grace began to question her motives of coming to Kadic. Her reasons were stupid, stupid and selfish. To give up her life over at Guiding Light in order to meet someone who would only verbally tear her limb from limb.

With that moment of introspection Grace came to a stunning revelation. No matter how many times her teachers and parents would praised her in the past, she was an idiot.

Grace forced herself to have her eyes meet Dirk's once more. His face neutral of all expression minus his eyes which were two burning brown embers that spoke more than any orator alive or dead.

Kap Hwan titled his head to the side and closed his eyes for an extra dramatic effect.

"Just leave me alone."

He slowly walked away from the bewildered girl, past the curious and angry gazes and past the muttered dissents. Clayton followed closely but saw a hand being raised.

"Maybe you didn't understand Clayton. I said I needed to be alone!"

Grace could do nothing more but hold her hands close to her body. There was something she saw. Something that rattled her to the core.

His eyes, those same quite eyes that could bring even those with an iron clad sense of courage to their knees were now speaking a different story. The orator's speech had been re-written. Speaking in such soft tones that would rival any waltz.

Maybe she wasn't so stupid after all.

* * *

Be prepared for anything. That was the first lesson that any Lyoko warrior worth their salt had learned. A lesson taught to Jin Ishiyama when he was thrown headfirst into his sister's underground war with XANA. He was not going to let their enemy get the jump on them so easily. With his mental resolve fortified, he was ready to make the virtual jump into the battleground. No way would he be caught off guard. Then again, when you're free falling from heights that would rival most buildings it's generally not a good idea to have your mind focusing on other things. 

From the disastrous results, it looks like the conflict was not the only thing Jin had plunged into headfirst.

Ulrich watched slightly amused as the boy's sister helped him to his feet. No matter how many times he saw the sight, it still managed to get a chuckle out of him every now and then.

"Hey Jeremie, maybe next time you should virtualize a mattress down here that way Jin doesn't break his neck when he lands on his face."

By now the clumsy person was on his feet, adjusting his sunglasses which had fallen off one of his ears on account of the fall. Through the tinted eyewear he saw the rest of his friends who were keeping an eye out for anything dangerous that could come their way.

"Whatever," he said casually as to blow the comment off. "Let's just get this mission over with."

Jeremie's voice was heard next as it felt like the opportune time to remind everyone what they were doing.

"Okay, guys, today's trip is a bit different from all the others. For one since there is no XANA attack going on outside, we're really not pressed with a time limit. The supercomputer picked up some weird activity going on in Lyoko, so in order to find out more on what's going on, you're going to need to pay Sector 5 a little visit."

Odd steadied himself and placed his gloved hand on the side of his head. Just hearing about that area made him feel a bit sick. The means of transport over to the region certainly had room for improvement.

Jeremie happened to catch Odd's little dizzy spell through the video feedback that Jin's sunglasses were providing, which was something that he found rather humorous in itself. Of course, it didn't take the purple daredevil long to regroup back to his old self smiling from ear to ear.

"Since we don't know what to expect, we're doing this by the book. I don't want us causing any more commotion than needed, so do not engage the enemy unless it is utterly vital to Aelita's safety."

Yumi, Jin and Ulrich nodded in agreement; though, Odd wasn't so happy with such restrictions.

"You always manage to take the fun out of everything."

The sound of keys clicking could be heard as Jeremie was entering a complex sequence of commands needed for their entry.

"I'm accessing the transport now. Let's all hope it's nothing too serious."

Yumi readied her fan and instinctively took her position in front of the girl she was assigned to protect.

"I'm sure no matter what it is you'll be able to solve it," came her vote of confidence uttered just before the spherical vessel came into view. Out of the corner of the girl's eye she saw her brother reach behind him to retrieve his long-range rifle.

"I'll cover the rear."

The feline avatar folded his arms across his chest.

"Hey, if I'm not going to be able to blast some monsters then shouldn't as well. It's only fair"

"True, but Jeremie's directions were a bit fuzzy when it comes to kneecaps."

"Do these monsters even have kneecaps?"

With that last question asked the five heroes stepped into sphere to be whisked away to yet another daring ordeal.

* * *

Grace could only manage to force herself to sit still when it came to eating her meal; after that she just had to get out of the cafeteria. She could not take it anymore. The confused stares, the murmured questions, the nervousness in the pit of her stomach…she had to get out, she needed to get a grip on herself. During her tour, Ulrich pointed out the forest that the school shared its space with and how he would always go there whenever he needed a moment to think. Now it was Grace's turn to heed her friend's advice. 

She was alone for only a minute when her trained ear caught the sound of footsteps which were becoming ever louder.

"That was quite the stunt you pulled over there by the cafeteria," the discharged bodyguard greeted.

Grace raised her index finger as a gesture to show that she was sifting through her memory bank in order to associate a name with the boy's face.

"Clayton, isn't it?"

"That's my name."

"Are you a friend of Dirk's?" Grace had to ask, not knowing the relationship the two had.

"_A _friend? Try _only_ friend. Well that's how it was, until today."

Clayton walked over to the nearest tree and leaned his rather large body against it and sticking his hands in the pockets of his baggy hooded sweatshirt.

"So, how do you know the guy?"

Clayton's question still had an intimidating tone to it but he was still trying his best as to come off as politely as he could. Grace appreciated the effort though secretly wished he would seek further steps to correct such brash mannerisms.

"He practices over at my father's store every week."

The conversation was awkward, what with each participant uttering a quick sentence or two out of obligation to the other, feeling as if the less that was said, the better.

"How on Earth did someone like you end up running into the likes of him"  
Clayton's brash nature shined through tough now the question was asked with more of a curious tone as opposed to a demand of the girl's encounters.

Kap Hwan's friend was big, lumbering and had a bit of temper to him, but deep down in Grace's heart, she knew she could trust him. Inhaling slowly, she began to tell him the story of their first meeting.

* * *

The door that granted passage into Allegro Interlude swung open, causing Winston to look up and see his daughter stride into the store. It was a weekend and thus, she had no school. With no important plans for the day, she decided to help out as the amount of customers was relatively higher than those of the rest of the week. 

"Hi father!" The cheery teenager greeted rather warmly.

The store's owner watched with a smile as the young girl exchanged hellos with all of the customers inside. He then fixed his gaze back to the rather large package that was delivered to him an hour ago. He was fully aware of the contents inside. In all his years as owner of Allegro Interlude, he had never heeded such a unique request as he was asked to fulfill. By now the protective brown box was opened and the various items of padding were opened and the instrument case removed.

Grace was now watching the older man fiddle with the latches on the box and arrived just in time to see the delicate string instrument that was being house inside. It was hardly worn by usage and made of wood that was polished to a pristine luster that caught the room's lights giving it a glamorous shine. It was indeed a work of art that put most of the other instruments in the store to shame. She almost wished that no one would touch it as so its natural beauty would not be disturbed.

"I can't believe we're going to be selling something like this here!" Grace said as she admired the cello's craftsmanship as one would do with a car or a statute on display. "How did you come by such a marvelous item?"

The father figure slowly closed the case's lid and reattached the latches making sure not to damage the product he just opened.

"Well Grace, that's the thing…this item is not for sale. In fact, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Grace looked up attentively and nodded, eager to listen.

"A few days ago I received a phone call regarding our store's practice rooms, and if we charged to use them."

"But we never do, right? You said yourself that one should never ask for money to practice music."

Winston patted his daughter on the head for remember one of his many lessons that he taught her.

"Well that's what I told him, but that's not where this story ends. You see, the gentleman has a son who attends Kadic Junior High, and openly voiced his wish to have us allow the boy to use one of our practice rooms every week as our store was the closest to his school."

It didn't take long for Grace to figure out that the cello in front of her dad belonged to their new client.

"I see."

"The funny thing is the man still sent me a check to pay for our services despite the fact that we don't charge. He told me it was a gift for our cooperation."

The check was soon produced from the man's pocket for Grace to see. What instantly caught her eye was the rather large sum of money made written on the small slip of paper. Indeed, this family was rather wealthy to be able to send their son to Kadic _and _buy him such an expensive instrument. The girl wondered if he was going to be a spoiled handful like some of the more financially well-off customers she met in the past. Just for curiosity's sake he looked at the check's signature but was only was able to make out the last name: _Kap Hwan._

Winston spoke again. "According to the schedule, the boy is to show up some time today."

Time passed on as usual, customers came and went with little incident. Grace's father muttered something about taking care of something in his office and disappeared from view. By now the sun was setting and the store was empty. The downtime proved to be an ideal moment for some much needed tidying up. Rummaging through the shelves of sheet music they sold, Grace could hear the faint sound of the front door opening slowly as if the person holding the object was hesitant to step inside. The pause was brief and footsteps could be heard shortly after.

"Welcome!" Grace cheerfully greeted the stranger with an honest smile and her sunny demeanor.

The customer didn't say much and instead of replying kindly, he looked directly ahead of him, glaring at the teenager as though she did something horribly wrong. Grace was caught off guard by such behavior, and it was then that she got a good look at him.

What first caught her eye was how young he was. Obviously a student, with such a short stature and youthful features, yet there was something different about him. His slender frame covered by his dark semi-formal clothing—such a taste in clothing she didn't see to often with boys his age. The customer made his way to the counter, walking at a calm pace with his hands buried in his pockets and his eyes closed as if he was thinking of something else. Grace remained silent, keeping her eyes transfixed with her latest guest. There was something about him that made it hard for her to look away. Maybe it was the intense look in his eyes that he carried. Maybe it was the cold and sophisticated demeanor that he wielded that almost demanded one's attention. However, what truly caught her attention were his movements. Each step that he took was deliberate, as if it was calculated into a master plan etched into stone long ago. Every movement, from his methodical pace, to the slight bent in his arms had a specific amount of fluidity and surgical precision.

"You're in my way."

His voice was layered and contemplative as if it carried volumes of truth and insight in just four words spoken in a tone no louder than a whisper. Such an order snapped Grace out of her little trance and brought her back to the shop she was helping out at.

The stranger clenched his fist out of annoyance for his demand was not met.

"Did I stutter?"

Dealing with a rude customer was usually something Grace took in stride. However, this new entry's behavior extended way beyond being inconsiderate. Such amounts of pride bordered on being egotistical; like he thought she was beneath him. It was these types of people that really got underneath the girl's skin. Still she kept her composure though she did show some signs of wavering.

"Sorry."

As if his previous comments were not bad enough. The customer then made his way to the expensive cello case and slammed it shut as if it were a meaningless piece of wood. Taking a moment to utter something under his breath as if he had a personal vendetta. To treat such a fine-crafted instrument that did not belong to him so poorly sent Grace over the edge.

"Just what on Earth do you think you're doing! How can you have so little respect!"

Again another icy glare was shot her way.

"Kap Hwan."

Those two words were all that she needed to hear to figure out what was going on. Not even showing the common decency to wait for the answer, the cello playing son disappeared into the nearest practice room. This last sequence of events was the sight that greeted Winston as he stepped out of his office.

"I see you've met our special customer."

Now free from the burden of putting of a face to hide her inner emotions, Grace was ready to vent her frustrations.

"Father, I don't care how much money his dad is paying us! How can you let such a self-centered, uncaring fool into our building?"

"Just as I thought."

Whatever rant Grace was building up too was immediately halted by that one sentence.

"Wait, you know about this boy?"

"I asked his father for some information about him, just so I could better communicate with his son. It was then I found out that he was a delinquent who had a hostile reputation with his classmates. He even was forced to repeat a grade due to his poor academic skills."

"Then why?"

The older man approached his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder, as if to tell her that he was going to say something worth listening to.

"Grace, why do we play music?"

Such a question was out of place and so trivial. She decided to answer it regardless.

"That's easy, to express ourselves."

"Almost. When we play, we're letting the entire world take a glimpse into our soul. No matter how we carry ourselves in our day to day lives, our playing never changes. It's always reflecting our heart's desires back to others like a dustless mirror. Grace, when you play, although you do have control over yourself, whatever emotions that you've locked inside that truly need to be seen will make themselves known. I believe that there's more to this boy that meets the eye. He looks way too smart to be a simple hooligan as others have told me he is."

Grace's eyes went wide after hearing the sage like advice that her father dispensed. The wisdom he showcased was well beyond someone of his years. He disappeared into the store's backroom leaving his daughter to ponder those words.

The young Kap Hwan's room was across the store. Her father's advice still echoed in her mind. Was there something more to him? Was he even capable of expressing himself to begin with? The questions were too poignant to be left unanswered and forgotten. Her first tentative steps gave way to full strides, carrying the curious girl from one side of the store to the other, bringing her closer to the wooden obstacle separating her from her answers.

Gently, she pressed her ear against the door while covering the other with one of her hands, taking in the faint hums that the cello produced as the teenager drew his bow across. The intervals in-between the notes shortened but not the pace. Each individual sound was individually crafted and brought into the air to amuse the audience of one. They were free, bold and carried a message that was meant to be shouted out loud but were confined to a small room but she still heard them and she understood.

He was crying.

Such a truth hit her like a hammer to the heart. The emotional recoil carried physical results. Grace's knees felt weak and she stumbled backwards knocking over miscellaneous items that were in her path. The door to the practice room she was so intently watching door open ever so slowly.

"I don't think the store would look too tidy with such a mess on the floor," he said. By now, Grace was starting to grow accustomed to his cold voice.

It was weird, the burning feelings of contempt that she had were extinguished. She tried to rekindle the flames in her heart but they never came. Hearing him play, changed her entire outlook though she couldn't let him know of this change. She looked for an excuse.

"I was looking for some music that you could use."

Her eyes glanced at a pile of sheet music that lay on a table adjacent to her, snatching the closest piece of paper.

"Here," the store's assistant said with a nervous smile. She took a quick glance at the music's title as to see what exactly what she was recommending.

"Cello Suite #1"

"By Bach?" The well-dressed boy said with a raised eyebrow.

Grace stood still out of nervousness, not knowing why she was reacting the way she did but at the same time doing nothing to correct it. The other store occupant standing in front of her simply shrugged his shoulders and walked out the door.

* * *

Clayton's body slumped to the floor as if the weight of the truth carried him to the ground placing him by Grace's side. 

"Dirk is quite the harsh person isn't he? He's egotistic, self-centered, and arrogant…yet, we're still his friends."

She closed her eyes nodding with each and every personality fault that was listed.

"He was so rude to me and acted like I didn't even deserve his respect. That was something I kept telling myself every time he would come back so I wouldn't fall victim to his mind games. Yet I just couldn't bring myself to hate him in such a way."

"It's because you saw a different side of him that you wished he expressed more."

"Yeah," Grace said in agreement. Her soft voice carried by the soft afternoon breeze.

"I sometimes worry about that guy. He's one of the most guarded people I've met in my life. It's almost a miracle that he even allows us to be his friends. We are the ones who know the truth, that deep down inside he's a decent person."

"That he is."

Clayton shifted his large body so that he faced the person that he would be spending a little more time with.

"I really hope that Dirk takes a liking to you. It was about time we had a new addition to our small group."

Joy filled the empty cavities that lurked in Grace's heart. After the cold reception she got in the school's courtyard, being accepted as a friend of the two former delinquents was something shocking.

"Are you serious? Why are you being so nice? I thought Dirk didn't want to be seen with me at all."

"Dirk's a little weird when it comes to appreciating others. He will never openly say how he feels about a person, but you can always tell whether or not he likes having you around. Now, I might be a good personality reader like him, but I got a gut feeling that deep down inside, he respects you in his own way."

Grace had to blink a few times in order to take in the entire impact that statement carried.

"He_ respects_ me?"

"If there's one thing I know about him is that he'll never do anything that will not benefit himself in the long run. Before he started leaving the campus on weekends, he would usually spend his days off from school reading in his room alone.

"And what does that prove?"

"Grace, Dirk absolutely hates it when he's bothered during his reading sessions. There would have to be a good reason for him to completely alter his routine together."

For the brief amount of time they knew each other, Grace could already tell that this was something Clayton wouldn't say to just anyone. This was Dirk's enforcer. The person he trusted the most. To be informed of some of the Korean's secrets was a touching revelation that she had to express gratitude.

Clayton found the girl's arms wrapped around his body in a tight embrace.

"Thanks for telling me this Clayton. You can be quite the softie if you wanted to be."

"Hey, cut it out," he said with a small amount of laughter. "I got a reputation to keep up here."

Clayton reached into his backpack and removed a piece so that he could scribble a small note on it

"If you want to talk to us, that's our room number. Just don't tell Dirk that I gave this to you."

"Will do."

With a strong bond of friendship now established the musician and the bodyguard shared a moment of silence together before a white sphere of light engulfed them resetting the events of the world back to an undisclosed time.

* * *

Loud AM radio music forced open the eyes of a certain Japanese student. The boy sat upright and instantly noticed three things. 

First, he was in his bed.

Second, he was in his pajamas that he wore half a day ago.

Third, he really hated this song.

He decided to deal with the third issue first as it was the most pressing, the others could wait. After slamming his hand down on his clock as if to punish it for committing such a vile act, he swung his legs to the side of his bed and made his way to the dresser to get ready for school. Giving one last death glare at the infernal machine, he saw the date and his suspicions were confirmed.

This was a repeat performance of the day he just lived, meaning that he did go back in time but why? The last thing he remembered was him getting ready to go to Sector 5 before everything went blank. He shrugged the question away as he knew the others were pondering it as well, especially Jeremie.

His foot landed on a discarded magazine causing it to slip on the floor due to the lack of traction it carried. Unable to shift his balance according, Jin found his foot being shot out in front of him causing him to stagger uncontrollably toward his bookshelf where he gracefully used the side of his face to stop this burst of movement.

Between trying to get his thoughts together and ignoring the pain he was experiencing, Jin seriously pondered if he saw something like this in an episode of Looney Tunes.

Just then a medium sized hardcover book toppled from the shelf onto the boy's forehead as if to add insult to injury.

* * *

Jeremie had just finished getting dressed and was typing up a storm on his computer. A return trip to the past was something that he did not expect to happen; already a list of possible explanations were running through his mind all carrying an equal amount of truth to back their claims. 

The obvious step was taken first which was to pull up the status reports on all functions of the super computer. It took only a few minutes of searching to find the source of the problem. Something that he was thankful for.

It seems that there was a minor glitch in the transport program during their investigation on Lyoko yesterday. Somehow when he entered in the code to gain access to Sector 5, it also triggered the time device that allowed them to return to the past. The bug was small and easily fixed with a few keystrokes bringing the system back to its old self. With no way to trace the glitch's origins Jeremie reluctantly let the issue rest for now.

* * *

Yumi had been unusually quiet while walking to school letting her thoughts drift from one thought to another unrestrained. She was not concerned with the time jump like her other counterparts, for she knew that for whatever problem that arose, Jeremie could handle it. 

No matter how hard she tried, she kept thinking of one thing. A mental image sparked by something she saw but the sight of her younger friends drove it out of her mind just a little bit longer.

Odd was first with the welcoming making sure that everyone around him matched her cheeriness.

"Hey guys!"

Jin could hear the boy's words over the music playing into his ear drums and waved back just as enthusiastically.

"Odd, Ulrich...nice day we're reliving huh?"

Not wanting to feel left out in the exchange, Ulrich raised his right arm in the air to say hello. His small smile contorted to a look of pain as he lowered the appendage to waist level taking extra care to cradle it as if it were a newborn child.

Yumi snapped to attention by the sight. Looking at his arm she noticed that a large portion of his forearm was wrapped in gauze. The bandage looked fresh meaning that the injury happened quiet recently.

"Ulrich, what happened to you?" She pointed at the area he was holding to clarify exactly what she was asking about.

A few rubs later he answered. "I was about to go take a shower when I dropped my towel in our room. When I reached over for it the door closed on my arm."

The twins retracted back in a collective wince, imagining how much something like that would hurt.

"How bad was it?" The older one inquired.

"Nothing a trip to the infirmary could fix."

"It was strange though," Odd added on, tapping his temple as if the activity helped him see the incident with clarity. "I could have sworn he left a makeshift doorstop to keep the sucker open. Too bad return to the past trips can't correct human error on our parts."

Yumi stepped forward as to close the distance between her and the injured boy.

"Ulrich, is it ok if I talk to you in private?"

He nodded and followed the Japanese girl to a place more secluded wondering what she was going to say.

* * *

Aelita patiently waited for Jeremie to emerge from his room to join her for yet another day of school. She too was worried about the unexpected time jump but decided to let Jeremie tackle the problem by himself. Only a few minutes had passed did he reveal himself which was strange as normally she would have to literally drag him to class on occasions like this. 

"Is there anything wrong with the super computer Jeremie?"

"It was just a small error in the computer. I already fixed it."

Issues concerning the super computer were never solved so promptly.

"For some reason, Jeremie, I feel like whatever happened yesterday is far from over." Her face now filled with worry, contemplating the possible dangers her friends might experience in the long run.

As if his body was on autopilot, the blonde haired boy draped a protective arm over his worried friend. They stayed that way, enjoying the moment for they were away from prying eyes and obnoxious cat calls. When the doors to the exit were in view they parted ways feeling a little happier than they were five minutes ago and entered the courtyard.

As always, Jim was seen around the campus doing odd jobs that were well beyond his responsibilities as a PE teacher. One of his co-works had called the office to report that their window was not secured tightly enough, and the large man was asked to complete the task. With an electric drill in hand, he climbed the ladder he set up and proceeded to tighten the screws that were on the outside of the building. Really, the job was nothing special and held no relevance to the other students.

Of course for the rest of the team, little things like did not stay that way for long.

"WATCH OUT!" The large man yelled as the tool he was holding was now plummeting to the ground, where it landed a few feet from where he was working.

The sound of plastic being smashed on concrete caught Jeremie's attention and he turned quick enough to see the large man shaking his hand rapidly as to drive the painful sensation away from it.

_"Strange_," Jeremie thought to himself. _"This certainly did not happen the first time_."

* * *

Ulrich was never as easy going as he would like to be when he was alone with Yumi, and having a private talk with her did nothing to keep his anxiety in check. He concluded that he should remain quiet for now and speak only when needed to so he wouldn't make a fool of himself. 

"There's something I want you to do when you're called to show Grace around the school," Yumi said with her back turned as to hide her own bashful expression.

Now was one of times that Ulrich thought it was necessary to talk.

"What is it?" He said casually.

"When she sees Dirk leave the cafeteria, do not stop her from running toward him."

Good thing Yumi's back was turned, as now the brown haired boy was looking rather dumbfounded. Whenever their group traveled back in time, they would always use the opportunity to right the wrongs in their personal lives as to make things a little bit better. He was certain that Dirk's cold reception of the new transfer student was more than qualified to be rectified by the likes of them but his assumption was incorrect.

"You can't be serious!" Caution was thrown to the wind with that question. Why would she want to have Grace endure such an embarrassing moment again? They were friends, after all.

Yumi put her hand on her chest after hearing the boy's comment. His concern for his friends was genuine and something she had grown to admire. She lowered her armed and spoke softly.

"Sometimes in order for a relationship to truly bloom, a harsh experience like this is needed in order for both people to see how the other really feels for them."

Whatever reply Ulrich was ready to say stayed lumped in his throat. Yumi had spent a long time thinking of this and he was not going to rob her of the moment by opening his mouth.

"Ulrich, that girl is in love. I should know..."

The grass underneath Yumi's black boots rustled as she turned around to face her introspective friend just in time for him to see the morning breeze catch the ends of her hair.

"...because I am as well."

He didn't know what to make of the message. Under normal circumstances, its meaning would have been as clear as melted snow, but with the arrival of William into their lives, he didn't know what to think of anymore. The last thing he wanted was to expect something that would never come his way. He needed to get his mind away from such thoughts. A dry leaf fluttered in front of him and he attempted to catch it, forgetting his injury which soon made its existence known seconds later.

"You're in love, Yumi?" Ulrich said, trying to stretch the conversation out while he rubbed his bandage.

The Japanese girl moved even closer as her hair moved in the breeze. Sunlight danced across her face highlighting her warm brown eyes and small smile that kept Ulrich frozen in place. He could only watch as her soft hands gently wrapped around the white piecce of cloth on his arm as she too was worried about the pain he was feeling.

"I think you know who."

Her hands raised only slightly as they travled down the injured arm and squeezed the boy's hand slightly as to open it up. Ulrich complied and blushed heavily when he saw Yumi's fingers interlock with his own creating an unbreakable bond.

Yumi's emotions swelled in her heart and clouded her mind. She was indeed on cloud nine right now and could not think straight, for she too was blushing just as intensely.

"Ulrich…" she started, "I know I haven't been the most direct person in the world when it came to telling you how I feel…because I was always afraid of what would happen if I did. When I saw Grace take such a chance and did what she did, I thought it was time I did the same. I'm tired of wondering what might happen…and this is something I have to do, to make the uncertainly go away."

A simple nod of the head was all that she needed to know that he felt the same way. The newly formed couple moved closer enveloping each other with their arms and hands in a loving embrace that was long overdue. Just when it could not get anymore blissful for Ulrich, Yumi brushed aside his bangs with her finger, closed her eyes, and leaned in close until their lips met.

* * *

"Oh God," Jin uttered, feeling his knees wobble as to heed his body's demands to black out. Watching your sister's first kiss was never really something that followed one's daily routine. 

Odd on the other hand was cheering for his best friend in the back of his mind, as he knew Yumi had made the right choice with him as opposed to William. Maybe now the endless harassment that the rival had brought into their group would finally be eradicated along with the flirtations on Sissi's part. It was finally over. Ulrich and Yumi were officially a couple. Piecing together with what was going to happen at lunch Odd came to a dramatic revelation.

"Jin, we need to find you a girlfriend."

The dizzy spell that took hold of the extroverted oldest member was suddenly losing its effect.

"Please tell me you didn't say what I _think _you said."

Odd shook his head side to side and patted the boy's back as to show that he was serious.

"Face it man, you're the only single guy in our group. Einstein and Aelita are pretty much an item. You saw your sister and Ulrich hook up just now. Even Dirk might have a secret admirer who likes him."

The other boy's eyes narrowed to a squint as he was not amused with the suggestion.

"You have ten seconds to explain yourself," he said making that fact more apparent.

"Hey! No need to get all angry man, I'm just looking out for you. Aside from your sister, I've never seen you even talk to girls at all. What, are you shy around them or something?"

Odd could only hear a yawn come from the older Ishiyama as he locked his fingers together and rested his hands behind his head.

"It's something I don't think about, as I'm not too interested in. I got enough problems as is helping you guys keep XANA in check and making sure that my sister is safe from all the morons that wish her harm. The last thing I need now is to worry my head off trying to find a date."

Always wanting to cause mischief wherever he can, Odd eyes narrowed and a large grin spread across the features of his face.

"Stop deluding yourself Jin. You're just saying that because you're totally clueless when it comes to talking to girls."

"I don't see you with a significant other, so maybe I'm in good company."

The logical fallacy that was pointed out ripped a gigantic hole in Odd's argument promptly ending the stream of taunts coming his way.

* * *

Just like Yumi had said, Ulrich did nothing to prevent Grace from making a spectacle of herself at lunch. Watching it the first time was difficult enough, but seeing the same events repeat while knowing full well he had the power to stop them from occurring was more than a bit unsettling. 

He trusted his girlfriend's words, remembering the time they nearly kissed on Lyoko before they were returned to the past. But he couldn't shake the guilt. He was doing the right thing, yet why did he feel so horrible about it?

The pain in his arm was only a mild distraction from these feelings, as he still felt bad for what happened to Grace. With nothing else to do, he thought it was only fitting to actually pay attention to his teacher for once. He wasn't doing as well in the class as his parents would like so maybe some actual studying was in order.

Ulrich looked up to the front of the room just in time to see one of the school janitors approach his teacher and mutter a message to him. The instructor nodded and addressed the class.

"Alright, listen up everyone! It seems that the school needs a bit of assistance in order to set up the gymnasium for tonight's presentation."

Already, the teacher's eyes were scanning the student's faces looking for potential candidates long enough to make his decision.

"Mil, Kap Hwan and Stern. Care to help them out?"

Normally Ulrich would be a bit worried being forced to work with the Troublesome Duo but he had grown accustomed to their "charms." They would do whatever they could within the school rules to give him a hard time. As long as he kept an eye out for them he would be alright.

Following the custodian with two of his enemies in tow, Ulrich couldn't help but feel the déjà vu recalling the time he had to settle his differences with the two bullies back when James Finson demanded to use the factory as the next shooting site for his newest movie.

"Ok guys, thanks for helping out. Here's what I need you to do."

The adult gestured to a pile of chairs in the hallway that he had somehow managed to bring to the room's entrance then to a roll-a-way that was meant to carry them.

"We're going to transport these things over to the gym by using these carts. They're a bit on the unstable side so make sure you tie them tight with this bungee."

A collective nod was seen by the staff member's assistance. Seeing how he had other tasks to tend to, he disappeared in a nearby doorway, letting the students tackle their task alone. It was completed rather quickly.

The guilt had returned, as if to further torment Ulrich. He had to do something. Sure he promised Yumi that he would allow the events that took place yesterday to happen once again under his watch, but that didn't stop him from voicing his opinion when everything was said and done.

Now determined to avenge Grace's honor, Ulrich approached the black-clad Korean who was currently securing the chairs with the piece of bungee cord the janitor had provided them.

"Dirk!"

It was only when the knot was finished did Ulrich's rival turn to face him as if the later activity held little significance for him.

"My, how aggravated we are today?" Dirk replied in a condescending and arrogant tone that would have put anything Sissi said to shame.

"Just who do you think you are treating Grace so poorly today? You act like she's underneath you and doesn't even deserve the time of day."

Dirk raised his eyebrows and smiled looking no less intimidating.

"Listen here soccer boy,_ I_ didn't do anything here. Ashburton brought this upon herself. She was an uninvited guest, and I was just showing her the way to the door."

Still his conviction held firm. Ulrich wasn't going to let himself be intimidated so easily.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! Just drop the act Dirk. Can't you just act like a normal kid and not some sort of wannabe crime boss?"

For some reason Clayton did not choose to get involved in the argument; instead, he chose to stay off to the side. He really wasn't the type to raise his voice when Dirk was talking. The group went quiet after the bold statement was made. In that moment of time Ulrich saw the knot that Kap Hwan so diligently spent tying slowly unravel before reverting back to its original state. With nothing left to support the metal objects it was only a matter of time before they would come toppling on top of them.

Ulrich could only stare wide-eyed, feet frozen to the ground, at the chairs that would crush him and Dirk. The irony was indeed awe-inspiring. If he didn't approach Kap Hwan to yell at him for his arrogant ways then he would not be in harm's way.

Fate had a sick sense of humor punishing the righteous along with the wicked.

Yet, the judgment never came. Instead of feeling the presence of cold steel pressing against his flesh, damaging his body by pounding it into oblivion, it was his body colliding against the hallway floor. Ulrich gritted his teeth as he landed on his bandaged arm, a small price to pay to avoid being crushed. He was saved by external forces; now the question was…who?

Dirk rose to his feet on shaky legs shaking his head from side to side as to clear his conscious so that he could think straight. All of this was seen by Ulrich's eyes, though the next split second would forever burn a lasting image in his memory. Slowly, Dirk's face morphed from a look of general annoyance to one of fear. It only lasted for a flicker in time before the gaze was repressed, bringing back the boy's neutral expression but for the brief instant it was allowed to roam, the Earth its presence was memorable.

Now it was Ulrich's turn to be shocked. Turning his head to the pile of chairs that lay on the floor, he saw exactly what triggered the violent shift in emotions from the usually stoic student. Protruding from the tangled mess of steel was a human arm and barely visible nearby was the motionless upper torso of Clayton.

It didn't take the two enemies to realize that the person responsible for bringing them to safety now lay unconscious on the floor barely clinging on to life for his heroics. Dirk bolted into the classroom as to summon help leaving Ulrich behind to ponder exactly what happened.

Something was amiss here. Countless encounters with the unknown and strange had conditioned Ulrich's mind to assess situations like this no matter how stressed out he was. Now was one of those occasions. This was not an accident. Dirk was not the type of person to do such a sloppy job with a task he was given. He was too proud to do something like that. That knot looked like it was moving on its own.

Could this be the work of XANA?

That was a question he would liked answered rather quickly. By now his cell phone was out and dialing the number that would allow him to contact Jeremie.

* * *

The glitch the young computer genius discovered was still nagging him in the back of his mind. With Aelita following closely behind him and his classes over for the day, the two students made their way to the factory's super computer in order to inspect the system first hand. 

A simple cell phone call saved him the trouble of doing so.

"JEREMIE!" Jin's shouted on the other line. He was beside himself with anxiety for his voice was two octaves higher than it normally was.

"Jin, calm down. What's going on?"

The city street that Jin was calling from came alive after the bedlam he and his sister had to endure. Already, a huge group of people had gathered around the pair of fraternal twins in order to see what exactly happened. All of this was heard over the oldest member's labored breathing as if his body was being denied oxygen.

"I think I'm beginning to know what being in a game of _Tetris _feels like."

Jeremie did not have adequate knowledge of the subject of video games, so the analogy's definition escaped him.

"I don't understand. Put your sister on."

"Yumi here," the Japanese girl's voice lacked the frantic quality of her brother's as she sounded in control of the situation and was analyzing the details that she came across.

"Tell me why Jin in such a crazed mess?"

"When we were walking home from school a crane carrying a bunch of I-beams malfunctioned and dropped its load right where we were standing."

She placed her hand on top of the large metal beam that was now imbedded into the concrete. The simple gesture allowed for the memory's image to intensify in her mind's eye.

Behind the blonde haired boy, Aelita stood motionless with her hands over her mouth as she pictured the intense emotions her two friends felt when they narrowly escaped with their lives.

"Aniki and I managed to get out of the way. We're shaken but all right. You think XANA is behind this?"

Just when that question was asked Jeremie saw on his computer screen a picture of Ulrich's cell phone come into view.

"Jeremie, I think XANA might be up to no good. We had an accident in the hallway that has left Clayton in bad shape."

Now with two stories that drew attention to their foe Jeremie ran a scan for any activated towers on Lyoko. Sure enough, one was located and the lose pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

"So that's what you were up to all along. A very crafty plan indeed. Crafty, but not foolproof."

With that thought out of his head, he was ready to orchestrate the team's countermeasure against the rogue program.

"Yumi, Ulrich, find Odd and head over to the factory, pronto. It's time we trip up XANA's little game plan."

"You got it," the two teenagers said in unison before hanging up.

* * *

The last of the forms needed for Clayton's transfer to the city hospital had been completed by Nurse Dorothy before she stuffed the package in a manila envelop with the enforcer's medical records. At first it was decided that the patient would rest at Kadic but since the school lacked the equipment needed for a detailed inspection required for injuries as expensive as his that would not be such a good idea. All of this was done under Dirk's presence. The boy was leaning against the wall of the infirmary with his arms neatly folded across his chest. 

"Are you okay, Dirk?" The good-natured woman inquired noticing how he was completely motionless from when he entered her office.

He didn't bother to look up and instead opted to tilt his head to the side and keep his eyes closed.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about Clayton's condition than mine? I'm not the one covered in bandages and doped up on pain killers."

The answer carried a more sharp tone rather than a nurturing one as if to inform Nurse Dorothy that she should cease her line of questioning as opposed to gathering more medical attention for Clayton.

"You of all people should have more faith in him," she said with a smile. "He's a tough kid…I'm sure he's condition is a lot better than it looks. This is more of a precautionary maneuver on our part. You can never be too sure."

"Still, why start a Q & A session with me?"

"It's only natural for me to be concerned, and I think Clayton would feel the same way. You might not be showing it but I know that you feel the same way. It's ok to let your emotions out once in a while."

"Thanks for the advice, but I'd rather prefer you to mend broken bones and stitch cuts instead of trying to get into my head."

This time the tone was lighter as if it were said jokingly. Dorothy's face brightened seeing that the Korean boy was capable of dropping his no-nonsense persona once in a while.

"I'm going to my office to see if I left any papers behind before I submit them to the hospital. Since I didn't deem this case as an emergency, Clayton will be staying here overnight so keep an eye on him while I'm gone."

She shut the door behind her allowing the infirmary to be filled with the muffled noises from the school grounds.

"My head is killing me," Clayton whimpered as his eyes slowly opened. The sound of bed sheets moving accompanied him as he replied groggily underneath the blanket that was draped over him.

Normally, in a moment like this, the person witnessing such a development would respond with a command for the other to stay still and silent as to conserve energy, and would speak gently to them as to soothe the patient back into slumber.

Dirk was not the type of person to adhere to such surgery clichés.

"Clayton, you have to be one of the biggest idiots I know right now. It is human nature for someone to look out for their own safety. What the heck were you doing playing Superman all of a sudden?"

"You're right man, I wasn't thinking. Maybe I am a fool…but a fool that you owe a big debt to."

"Taking a few strategies from my play book?"

The bodyguard wanted to continue the witty banter but felt his eyelids were getting heavier, lulling him back to sleep. But, he resisted the temptation just long enough to say one last message through his weak lips.

"Give her a chance."

The last thing he heard was the sound of the door closing.

* * *

Red beams of light passed harmlessly through the air missing the purple dervish of movement that they intended to hit. The thin body torque and twisted pointing the cat boy's arm at the assailants and released his own counter attack. 

"Laser Arrow!"

Two darts and two Kankrelat junk heaps later the tide of the battle shifted toward the hero's favor.

"And to think you doubted the coolness from my arrows Jin."

One of the mechanical beasts took the initiative and emerged from its hiding place to ambush the provoker, to punish his inability to pay attention.

"Whoa!" Odd's yelp. His surprised shout was drowned out by three loud bangs that came from the barrel of Jin's pistols as well as the buzz saw-like noise coming from Yumi's fan.

The bullets ripped into the steel surface and knocked the poor monster off balance, halting whatever attack that it had planned for Odd. As it tried to reclaim its lost balance the sharp disk bounced off of its weak point, sealing its fate.

Both twins ducked behind the two rocks they were taking cover behind, with Aelita not too far off behind ready to support the frontline fighters at a moment's notice.

"We'll argue later, Odd. Right now, let's just deactivate the tower and end this thing."

Keeping their weapons drawn, the brother and sister pair surveyed the battleground to look for any other enemies which could no longer be found.

"Clear. Let's use the breather to regroup and go over our plan," Yumi said laying down the next course of action.

Ulrich was still fuzzy on the details as to exactly what was going on, and spoke up.

"Jeremie, what is XANA up to in the first place?"

"Remember that glitch I found in the super computer today?" The group responded collectively. "Well, it was put there by XANA. He generated that excess activity in Sector 5 in order to lure you guys there, so that we would activate his little trap and the time drive would go off."

It was Yumi's turn to be confused.

"I don't understand, though. He was able to take control of return to the past program last time, why didn't he just do that again? It would have sure saved him a lot of trouble. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"That's the thing, Yumi; he can't alter the safeguards I set up to prevent him from doing so again, but he succeeded. XANA needed one last trip to the past to acquire enough power to unleash this latest attack."

"Why bother? The crane malfunction hardly seemed worth all the work."

"You're thinking too big Yumi."

The plan was more complex that she originally anticipated and Jeremie was more then willing to tell them how.

"In the past XANA's attacks have always been epic like sending a giant teddy bear to Kadic or controlling an army of sewer rats. Such large scale dangers were indeed deadly, but they also were easily identified of him being the source of the problem. This time he's taken a more subtle approach."

The thought of XANA being active for an entire day without their knowledge frightened the team.

"Are you saying that XANA had a tower activated all this time?" Aelita asked, surprised by the finding.

"No doubt in my mind. When I was walking to class I noticed that Jim dropped the power drill he was on account of a slight electrical shock. This is nothing new, except that this event should have never happened. We were supposed to see a repeat of what happened yesterday. My guess is that XANA has been playing the role of the practical joker, testing our awareness by creating accidents for use here and there, before moving up to more daring risks. I'm guessing that's why the door to the shower room closed on your arm, Ulrich; XANA was toying with you. We never checked for a tower as we had no reason to believe XANA was attacking us; thus, no reason to check."

Jin rubbed the side of his head, which was still sore after it was rammed into his bookcase. That accident must have been his enemy's doing as well, XANA putting a magazine in his path as if it were a modern variation of the classic banana peel gag…bah. Of course, while they were on the subject, who could forget Ulrich and Dirk's encounter with the chair rack?

Odd was fired up now. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins.

"Well what's the use of us hanging around here? We got a tower to deactivate and some virtual butt to kick!"

Jin cracked his knuckles and walked over to the pathway to the glowing red structure and pulled his silver firearms from the holsters in his shirt while they reflected the light on Lyoko with their metallic luster.

"I'll take point this time, that way I can punch a huge hole through XANA's ranks."

Ulrich drew out his blade and stood only a few feet behind the marksman, ready for action.

"We'll be following you closely."

The others rallied behind the swordsman waiting for their signal to attack. Jin happily obliged.

"Let's rock!"

* * *

Dirk did not leave the infirmary as the same man who entered. His mind normally an organized gallery of thoughts, actions and repressed feelings was becoming a swirling torrent of chaos requiring more and more energy to keep it under control. He was starting to hate the day already. If there was one thing he valued the most, it was control. Not in the sense of getting people to do blindly obey orders, that was garbage; but in the sense of destiny and self-determination. To hold your life by your own hands, carrying it where you wanted to go and to live life by your own rules, the principle of free will. 

This was a principle he was losing and he hated it.

For Kap Hwan, the surprises did not end there, as he was again knocked to the floor by a heavy impact.

"Oof!"

Feelings of rage pulsated through his body. If the student that ran into him was someone he was not too fond of Nurse Dorothy would have to get another bed ready for a second patient.

"Sorry," came the student's sincere apology laced with an intelligent British accent that was instantly recognizable.

"Ashburton."

Grace had to pick up her petite body from the floor, mystified that she was able to knock down a boy taller than her. Dusting off her clothes, she looked into his eyes and spoke.

"I came as fast as I heard the news. Is Clayton alright?"

Hearing her concern for his fallen friend had extinguished the flames of hate burning inside, leaving him emotionally defenseless for a brief moment.

"Yeah," Dirk muttered underneath his breath turning his head to the side to avoid her gaze.

What on Earth was wrong with him? Never had he had a problem with keep his emotions in check, and now they're running rampant as if they owned the place! Emotions were meant to be a guise worn to fool others, to hide his intent, to feign weakness or to perpetuate a false truth for his benefit. They were supposed to be under his beck and call, not the other way around.

"I need to go."

Dirk stormed off to his dorm as to sever contact with the new student which was something uncharacteristic of him.

He was really going to hate this day with an undying passion.

* * *

Aelita was the first one out of the scanners and in the factory's elevator. It was a rare occasion for all five of them to be on Lyoko at the same time battling side by side. The experience was exhilarating, to say the least. No wonder Odd enjoyed himself the way he did. The others quickly filed in and prepared for the ride to the top as Jeremie summoned their presence for a final meeting. 

He sat at his computer chair looking rather serious as something pressing was on his mind.

"Jeremie, is there something you want to tell us?" Aelita asked as to get emphasize with his feelings.

"We're in a tight bind here folks. Should we return to the past or not?"

That was an issue that no one had thought of until now. Although they were the targets of this particular XANA attack, Clayton had somehow got involved in the crossfire and was lying in the infirmary as a result of their carelessness. Going back in time would fix this mess, but then again, after falling victim to one unnecessary time jump, but did they really want to give XANA such an edge?

Odd was first to share his views. "I'm not Clayton's biggest fan, but anyone who saves my best friend's behind doesn't deserve a trip to the hospital."

Jeremie had to get his opinion off his chest as well. "Then again by doing so we might be falling into one of XANA's traps. Dealing with possessed humans is bad enough…do we really want to press our luck with something worse?"

Aelita was torn by the two sides as both had valid arguments. It broke her heart to know that there was a student out there, enemy or friend, who got involved in their secret conflict and paid the price. At the same time she wished to end this war as fast as she could and giving her tormentor more power was not going to help their cause.

Leave it to Yumi to offer a compromise.

"I'm going to Kadic to check on his condition, and we'll let that be the deciding factor whether or not we return to the past."

Jeremie took a second to ponder the plan letting out a small grunt in the process as the gears in his mind turned.

"Fine, just let us know how well he's fairing."

Yumi slung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the elevator.

"I'll see you guys later then."

"Wait! I'll come to," came Ulrich's words intervening has to prevent the Japanese girl from walking any further without his company. Then in a bold move that was uncharacteristic of him before, he grasped Yumi's hand with his own and flashed a loving smile in her direction. The elevator's door the shut closed and began its accent to the surface.

Jeremie was stunned by the display of affection Ulrich had shown while the pink haired girl could not but smile too but such a touching example of romance.

"Since when did they…" the tech head stammered unsure of what just happened.

Both Odd and Jin rolled their eyes and let out a small sigh as they were the first ones to make this discovery, and were not too found of this burden of responsibility.

"Don't ask," the teens said in unison.

* * *

It was strange, really, when one thought about it. They were a couple, a real couple. The days of having to shy away from each other, sneaking occasion glances when they could were over, as they allowed themselves and each other to be comfortable in their presence. 

Yumi couldn't help but stare at her hand which was interwoven with Ulrich's. This simple aspect of human contact was potent enough to lift her spirits, making her feel as if she were skipping on clouds. But that paled in comparison to the kiss they had in the forest. She indulged in her bliss briefly then returned her attention to her stroll. The infirmary lay on a few steps ahead; the last thing she wanted to do was see Clayton looking at her while her cheeks were still red.

"You ready, Yumi?" Ulrich asked not sure what to expect when he entered.

"I am," Yumi whispered, giving the boy's hand one last squeeze before she let go to open the infirmary's door.

Clayton sat up, which was a phenomenal physical feat, given his current condition, to greet his latest visitor. He was expecting to see Dirk step inside once again. Imagine the astonished on his face when he saw the likes of the student who was responsible for kicking him in the jaw and the girl his best friend used to hold a grudge against enter.

"Ulrich? Yumi?" He questioned as if to confirm the images his eyes were relaying to him.

"It's us."

The whole conversation felt awkward. The likes of the Weirdo Bunch and the Troublesome Duo never really had a pleasant conversation before. This was a step into uncharted territory.

The obvious question was asked first by Yumi as to establish some sort of vocal communication between the two groups.

"So, how bad is it?"

"All injuries aside, I got away scot-free from the accident, seeing how severe it was. I am being transferred to the hospital from observation and more tests, though. I guess lady luck is on my side after all."

Ulrich took a few uneasy steps forward as he had something important to say. Taking his time to formulate his words the brown haired boy said the one sentence that he needed to get off his chest.

"Thank you for what you did, Clayton."

Yumi closed that distance soon after and rested her arm on his shoulder.

"I thank you too."

Mirroring his discussion with Dirk, Ulrich too felt like he had to question the bodyguard's motives.

"Still, though…why did you do it? I understand pushing Dirk out of the way but why me as well? I thought you hated my guts after what I did to you in the forest a long time ago."

Clayton chuckled, his rash actions were really a source of amusement to him rather than a careless mistake he should draw a lesson from.

"I wasn't going to let a bunch of chairs send you to the hospital; that's my job if you step out of line."

An answer like that was to be expected with the Korean's guardian. Ulrich had a hard time figuring out if the threat was genuine or just an attempt at humor from the normally aggressive student.

"Let's just say that I've watched the _Die Hard Trilogy_ too many times for my taste, and I thought I was Bruce Willis. I'll tell you one thing you never see in the movies is John McClane in the hospital like me."

Now that was a joke that Ulrich and Yumi could laugh at.

Again his body felt tired, as the simple act of sitting up and talking was a lot more draining than he originally thought. His body demanded sleep, with him drifting in and out of consciousness through hazy images instilling a slight euphoria that brightened up his mood and made him more open.

"As much as a pain it is to lie in bed like this, I wouldn't go back to change anything."

Those words immediately caught Yumi and Ulrich's attention by a heartbeat. A return to the past was not needed

"What on Earth are you talking about! Don't you wish you could be up and about as if nothing had happened?" Yumi asked, worried.

"Yeah, I could…but something else happened as a result of this accident that I don't want to mess with."

"And that is?"

"She's getting to him. For once in his life, he's met a person who he has no idea on how to deal with and it's driving him crazy."

Anyone could sense how tired Clayton was, and the young couple took that last comment as a sign that they should leave so that he could get some rest. They were happy when they left walking away from the situation with both the key info they needed and a new level of respect for Clayton.

* * *

Grace couldn't sleep that night. The dorm room she was assigned to felt unfamiliar and distant, not like home. 

Then again, that sort of thing was a given. She wasn't home. It was supposed to feel this way the first night.

Adjusting to the daily aspects of Kadic had proven to be a difficult task, but the night life was something she completely forgot about.

Well, until now.

Her mind was active with conversations she had and questioning why she even agreed to this transfer. The words of her music teacher kept playing in her head over and over again like a broken record.

_"Sometimes we've grown so accustomed to our regular lives that change is shunned. The only way we can achieve are true potential is to expand our horizons."_

Here she was, in her pajamas, in a school she was not familiar with, all for the sake of change. She trusted her teacher's advice and let the issue rest.

But that wasn't the real reason why she was awake.

Clayton Mil, the first student outside of Yumi's circle of friends who was kind to her was an injured mess. The nurse told her what happened and she did her best to keep his mind away from what the horrible experience. Talking with Clayton helped a bit when it came to relieving her of her fears, but it did not erase them. Her concerns were genuine, as if she was in the hallway right when that faithful act was executed. She could only imagine what Dirk was feeling right now.

Grace had to talk someone to calm her nerves. She didn't want to bother Ulrich anymore, as she burdened him enough with her problems which left one person left. Sure she was breaking the school's rules about curfews but this was too important. Grabbing the note that contained the room number that Clayton wrote for her, she headed outside to chat with a certain Korean.

* * *

Being forced to play a solo for a music recital was nothing in terms of being in a nerve wracking experience compared to sneaking around the boy's floor in the Kadic dorms. She feared that any moment the likes of a staff member or a suspicious student could report her to the principal and be expelled from the campus for sure. Illuminated by the lights embedded in the ceiling, Grace did her best to locate the room that was scribbled for her and was relieved to find the right door. 

After knocking three times the door's handle turned causing Grace to tense up out of nervousness as a million questions flashed in her mind's eye.

What if this was all a bad idea?

What if Dirk just wanted to be left alone?

Did he really respect her or were those just empty words Clayton said to cheer her up?

The wooden barrier was fully opened wiping the questions away with what she saw. There standing just beyond the doorway was a rather confused looking Dirk Kap Hwan wearing a pair of black satin pajamas with a small white butterfly embroidered on his chest. One of his hands was holding a towel as he was drying his hair off since he had taken a shower recently. Grace's heart melted instantly. She secretly admired Dirk for his musical talents and philosophical nature, but it never dawned on her that he wasn't too shabby in the looks department as well.

"Hi Kap Hwan," Grace said, nervously. "I couldn't sleep, and I was worried with how you were handling the news of Clayton being hospitalized. Do you want to talk?"

A tired sigh came from Dirk's lips, looking at the girl that was dressed for bed he put his towel down before speaking.

"I was catching up on my reading."

Grace took that as an indicator that she should leave, remembering what Clayton said on how much Dirk valued the activity. However, instead of having the door slam shut in her face, it was opened wider letting her see more of the room. She stood there dumbfounded by the gesture not knowing what to make of it.

"If you want to come inside, do so now. Stand out here any longer, and Jim might find you and tell Mr. Delmas about this."

Quickly she scurried inside to prevent such a scenario from happening. When Dirk closed the door and looked at his new guest, he couldn't help but noticed the stuffed object that she held close to her chest.

"Care to tell me that thing's story?" He raised an index finger to point at the object to clarify on what he meant.

"Oh, her? It's my silver fox plushy. I've had it since I was little."

Dirk blinked his eyes a few times, trying to comprehend the fact that there were people his age who still kept their childhood stuffed animals.

"Cute," he said unenthusiastically.

Dirk returned to his desk to return to his precious reading, as he was too engrossed with the current chapter he was in to stop. Grace grabbed the other empty seat in the room and made her way to the small bookcase in the dorm's corner. Her eyes skimmed across the wide selection of novels, autobiographies and research books that he managed to collect stopping only at a piece of written work that was strangely out of place.

"Cello Suite #1," she read out loud in a whisper. Could this be the very same book that she "recommended" to him that faithful day when they first met? She had to make sure. Opening the cover, she saw her store's stamp on the inside, meaning that this piece of sheet music was purchased at the Allegro Interlude.

By now Dirk had placed his bookmark, which happened to be a playing card of the ace of spades, and was starring at the girl.

"I take it you found what I think you found."

She moved her chair to the desk Dirk sat at and gently placed the book on top of it trying to comprehend the notion of the proud Korean boy actually listening to her advice. Clayton was speaking the truth all along.

"You actually valued what I told you that time we first met, Kap Hwan?"

"That I did."

Now near a better source of light, Grace looked at the music closely. She could see in the pages several tiny paragraphs of notes that he wrote to himself on how he could improve his technique and bring the true beauty of the song to life. It was if she could feel the endless hours he invested into this one selection as to honor its composer and do it justice. She looked to Dirk for an explanation.

"First off, you can stop calling me Kap Hwan. Dirk would be fine."

He was tired of putting on the façade of indifference and wanted to rest. The accident with Clayton had wounded his spirits and made this task seem impossible, forcing him to speak directly from the heart without the mind intervening.

"Listen, Grace…I'm sorry if I was harsh to you. It's just that I'm not really good with talking to others, and I didn't want to hurt you by acting like my usual self. It's just that…"

A slender index finger was pressed to his lips silencing him.

"You said all that you needed to say Dirk. You're just clueless when it comes to being with women. I can forgive you for that."

She didn't want him to speak any more, out of fear that the moment they were now having would be ruined by idle chatter. Taking a huge risk, she moved her hand down to his chin so that it rested in the crook between her thumb and index finger. They stared at each other's eyes for nothing else mattered

It was then Grace started to giggle like a little school girl.

"What is it?"

"Forgive me if I sound a bit random, but I think you would look real cute if you had purple colored eyes."

Grace's delicate fingers could feel the boy's temperature rise steadily after that compliment as the heat was being released through his checks in a faint blush. Dirk's mind was frazzled, and for the first time in his life, he was speechless.

She giggled at the Korean's nervous nature as it was a stark contrast to how he usually carried himself out.

"I take it you agree with me, then…"

The boy's chin was still cradled in her hand, held with such care as if she were holding a precious jewel. Her worries faded away letting her thoughts focus on the activity of sleep, which was something she desperately needed.

The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Dirk stroking her cheek with the back of his hand, while she was lulled to a peaceful slumber.

Grace awoke with a blanket wrapped around her. She was still in Kap Hwan's room, resting her head on his desk as if she fell asleep during a boring lecture. Sliding the sheet of fabric off, she stood up and saw her host sleeping peacefully in his bed.

She made her way to the door to leave, but stopped when she was near his resting form and placed her hand on his chest, which was rising and falling with every breath he took feeling the pulsations from in his body. It kept time perfectly, like a fine tuned metronome leading an elegant waltz. Even his heartbeat was musical, setting the pace for his inherent gift. That was why she admired him so much. Such a fragile soul with the blessings of the world on his shoulders so much had changed between the two of them within the course of a day.

Dirk rustled in his covers and somehow managed to subconsciously place his hand on top of hers. Grace knew she had to leave, to avoid getting in trouble with the school officials and reluctantly let go. Dirk let out a small grunt and reached up to the sky, almost like how a baby would ask for a bottle when it was hungry, as if his dream just took a turn for the worst.

Not wanting to leave him empty handed Grace gently slipped her fox plushy in the boy's arms and patted him on the head. She could to afford to part with it for one night. Taking one last look at the room she turned the handled and stepped into the hallway to go back to her dorm.

"I won't give up on you," she whispered and closed the door.

* * *

**Outtakes**

"Ulrich, that girl is in love. I should know…"

The grass underneath Yumi's black boots rustled as she turned around to face her introspective friend, just in time for him to see the morning breezy catch the ends of her hair.

"Because you are as well?" Ulrich guessed, unsure if he was correct or not.

"No! It's because how blatantly she expresses it. See for yourself."

Ulrich cocked his head to the side to see Grace stalking the campus wielding a giant wooden hammer, a la _Ranma ½,_ with the words "Fangirl Appreciation Device" etched into the sides, ready to smash those girls who couldn't keep their eyes away from her man.

"COME GET SOME!"

The soccer player couldn't help but gulp in fear and be thankful that he was a guy and faced Yumi to see her reaction.

"I wonder where she got that…I might need to buy one myself."

Things would get a lot weirder at Kadic soon enough.

* * *

The construction going around Kadic was a disaster. Buildings were crumbling, rooms lay is shambles and the cafeteria was reduced to a pile of rubble. Inside Mr. Delmas' office Jim and the principal were going over the details of what happened. 

"Mr. Delmas, how much did you pay these guys to wreck the school?"

"Oh, about two million."

Good thing Jim wasn't drinking any coffee when he heard the news, or else Nurse Dorothy would be treating third degree burns on the older man's face.

"TWO MILLION! Who exactly did you hire?"

The headmaster grinned with pride making Jim feel a bit uneasy.

"Tim 'The Tool Man' Taylor."

Outside Jim could hear the familiar _oh-ho-ho-ho_ grunt the famous star would utter on top of Al's failed attempts to get the guy to pay attention to his work.

"Please tell me that these are the only TV icons you hired to help our school. I can only imagine who you asked to be our new history teacher."

"Already taken care of. The Mythbusters are already teaching as we speak."

"WHAT!"

Inside the classroom Jamie was rigging his own homemade nuclear bomb as he anxious to see if it was capable of ending a massive scale war just like the urban myth said.

* * *

XANA's _Real _Plan 

It was time he settled things personally. Now that he gathered enough energy he was ready to deal a frontal assault on the grounds of Kadic Junior High. He picked lunchtime to attack as then most of the students would be outside and see his power.

He emerged in his black ghostly form, completely halting the school's activities. As eyes were fixed on him and he delivered a speech he would say before their elimination.

"Attention, Kadic Junior High! I am XANA. For years I have been waging an underground war against six of your students in which I would always be defeated. I am here to tell you that times have changed! I have acquired more power than ever before, enough to destroy all of you in a fraction of a second. I only thought it was fitting to tell you the truth before I wipe your pathetic race off the face of this planet."

The student's stared at the black cloud of evil completely still and silent with their mouths hanging open.

_"Scared like little rabbits. It is only natural to fear your own death,"_ XANA thought smugly.

Then one student snapped back to reality, his eyes narrowed to show his anger and disgust.

"Oh my, you actually plan to resist? Don't bother, as your efforts will be in vein."

As the student pointed at XANA, the next word that would come from that student's mouth would forever shape the events history for all of eternity.

"HEARTLESS!"

The boy reached into the sky and a giant key magically teleported into his hand before he rushed headlong to confront the creature. The other students in the courtyard followed his example and produced custom Keyblades of their own. Soon a mass mob of angry students was coming his way with murderous intent in their eyes.

XANA knew that it could only go downhill from here. He mentally kicked himself for attacking after the release of _Kingdom Hearts 2_.

Off in the distance, Yumi watched the carnage with a smile, for she had more fun watching program's butt getting kicked then by participating in the melee herself. Behind her she could hear brother's angry voice as he was involved in yet another argument.

"How dare you say that!"

"Odd, quit trying to push Aniki's buttons. You know how easy it is to get him riled up."

"What are you talking about Yumi? I'm here."

"Wait a minute, if you're not arguing with Jin. Who is?"

The teenagers turned around as saw their friend Ulrich holding a Keyblade in each hand, while Jin held only one with the pointed end faced down.

"Jin, you're a fool, Valor Form is the way to go, I mean I have two, _two_ Keyblades which means double the butt kicking power."

"No Ulrich, it's Wisdom Form. I can blast Heartless from a mile away without them getting close to me."

"That's because you're a coward."

"Coward! Say that one more time and I'll blast you with so many magic bullets that your own mother won't be able to recognize you!"

"As if you can do that. Again Valor Form is the best."

"No, Wisdom is."

"Valor!"

"Wisdom!"

"VALOR!"

"WISDOM!"

Yumi just hung her head low. If the first idiot was her boyfriend and the second was her brother, she could only imagine what sort of mental problems their kids would have in the future.

* * *

**Words from the Author**

Incase you're wondering, the title is a musical term which means a slight change in a strict tempo. I'll let you come up with your own interpretation of how that applies to this story.

Ever since_ Secluded Allegro_ was released people kept speculating that Dirk and Grace were a couple and kept telling me to do more work with them. Unable to get the idea out of my head I wrote this piece to keep you guys occupied.

I feel weird writing this one-shot as I never did a romance story before, though I love the genre myself. If things got a little too sappy for you, I apologize now for your suffering. When I first got to work on this story, I knew that I couldn't base it solely off of Dirk and Grace. I never liked it when authors would base their entire stories on their ACCs and I did not want to be a hypocrite, so I used the original cast as a foil to set things up. Jeremie and Aelita served as the fact finders and info seekers, monitoring XANA and keeping that element afloat. Odd and Jin were used to keep the humor alive through their banter while Yumi and Ulrich served as the tie. Essentially I had three different stories going own all interwoven through Ulrich's interactions with the others. It was a complicated process but I wanted to try something different and unique that I wouldn't normally attempt in the Retelling Series. Aside from that I thought it would be a good idea to flesh out Grace and Clayton's characters a bit more. Although they're not as popular as the main cast and Jin, they have been developing a fanbase of their own so I wanted to paint a clearer picture of their personalities. Also, Grace's plushi is a refference to her voice actress who's name is silver-vixi.

Speaking of XANA, let me just say that coming up with your own XANA attack it pretty hard. I wanted something different just like the whole blind thing in _Marksman _and _Second Sight_. I needed a way to get Clayton out of the picture so that Dirk and Grace could have a moment together, while at the same time make it subtle enough so that a return to the past was not needed, and the progress the two made relationship wise would not be lost.

Ok, onto my personal thoughts on this couple. When fleshing out Kap Hwan's character, I wanted him to come off as the most emotionally and spiritually damaged person in the group but at the same time carrying a sense of stability that was unrivaled. Grace sympathized with his wounded nature and respected his mental maturity as well as his musical talents. This couple is a stark contrast to the cannon CL ones as the two will have an emotionally difficult time even after their feelings are admitted to each other. Grace has insecurities with herself when it comes to change while Kap Hwan...well you all know Kap Hwan. I also find it strange that it would be Kap Hwan who had the potential of having a girfriend as opposed to Jin as he's the more popular and likeable character. However I purposely choose to squash any oppertunity for Jin to have a romantic relationhip. On a personal reason I did that as it would be egotistic of me to give the character based off of my personality a romantic interest so that's the biggst reason why. However from his character you can see that he has enough emotional problems to deal with and that looking for a relationship would only add to his woes. Jin's the type of person who vales others a little bit more than himself and is more likely to help those out in need first before he starts taking care of himself.

Now I know you guys are wondering if anything in this story would be cannon in the Retelling Universe the answer is a bit weird. Here the story isn't cannon but the information shared is. Meaning Grace does go to an all girls school, ect.

Also, to all my readers out there who have yet to visit my webpage and DA account, you are _seriously _missing out on the complete _Retelling_ experience. I'm not going to say what but I will tell you that if you drop on by your time will be well spent.

Well that's it really guys. My one-shot break is over and I can finally return to writing my latest Retelling Chapter (I already got 30 pages on that bad boy). Thanks for reading. Also thank my beta reader Ari Rockefeller for making your reading experience a little bit easier.


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